Come develop critical thinking, executive function & social skills through an afternoon of project-based learning with the students and staff at Cajal Academy!
Alternate Wednesdays, 12-3 pm
Tailored to empower Bright, Gifted and Twice Exceptional Kids in grades 1-12
Application required; students who have been accepted into a Cajal Academy program in the last 18 months are automatically eligible!
Our Workshop Wednesdays are back!
Every other Wednesday afternoon, we will once again open up our program to students from the community to join with our current cohort for a mini project-based learning “sprint” tackling a real world problem in just 3 hours, end to end!
Every week is a new project, so you can come for just a week or join them all. Each project is developed by Cajal Academy staff, or our current students! Previous projects have ranged from, “How can we create a spring garment out of upcycled fashion” to “How can we create a water filtration system using only household goods?” Each project is announced at the start of the program, so kids work through the problem as a group, working within a closed set of information provided to them over the course of the afternoon.
For our currently-enrolled students, these bi-weekly workshops provide opportunities to develop mini projects in areas of their own interests—like the project increasing conservation of Connecticut’s native carnivorous plants that one of our high school students developed for the inaugural series last year! By bringing in students who aren’t already in our community, they also offer the opportunity to develop the unique social skill of connecting, collaborating and sharing your thought leadership with new people: a critical skill in our Vision to Voice Curriculum.
Watch our video to learn more about our Workshop Wednesdays Enrichment Series!
Get the Details and Apply Today!
WHAT
Immersive, 3-hour project-based learning sprints developed and delivered by our expert team of educators and clinicians, and a chance to meet Cajal Academy’s current cohort of students!
These drop-off programs are intended to give kids who are looking for additional enrichment for their school-based programs or who are in home-schooling, medical homebound or 1:1 programs the opportunity to develop critical thinking, executive function and peer collaboration skills, together with bright, gifted and twice exceptional peers.
As with all Cajal Academy programs, learner needs are support through our unique Neuro- and Trauma-Informed Approach to understanding and supporting gifted and/or neurodivergent kids’ learning and social-emotional needs.
WHO
Our Workshop Wednesdays are open by application to kids who have high analytical reasoning and/or creative thinking skills, including students who have learning, social-emotional, neurophysiologic and/or chronic medical differences, even ones as complex as connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
All Cajal curriculum is developed in ability-based groupings but part of the power of our program is the nurturing, mixed-age community that develops among our students so our Workshop Wednesdays Series is open to kids in grade-equivalencies of 2-12 who are not physically aggressive towards staff or peers and do not have a current history of elopement. For older learners, this provides unique opportunities to develop leadership skills, together with teens currently enrolled in our high school program.
WHEN
Pick a Wednesday, or sign up for them all! We’ll be hosting Workshops roughly every other Wednesday from September 24 through the end of the school year (other than during school breaks). Visit our event calendar to view our upcoming workshop dates.
WHERE
Our iconic new home, accessible by train from New York City, Westchester County, Greenwich, New Haven, Ridgefield, Danbury and points in between! Our 100 year old building is in the heart of historic South Norwalk, CT, just one block from the Maritime Aquarium and around the corner from restaurants and boutique shops.
COST
$175 per workshop, or $775 (a $100 discount) when you purchase a 5-pack. All workshops include the cost of materials and supplies, programming costs and the opportunity to engage with our on-staff expert occupational therapist, physical therapist and renowned neuropsychologist.
APPLY
Submit your application online! Students will be admitted to the program based on prior evaluations or, where those are not available, a Zoom screening session with our neuropsychologist. Applications are not required for students who have been admitted to a Cajal Academy program within the past 18 months; sign up for your workshops here!
Upcoming Workshop Dates
Attend an Info Session to learn more about this and other Cajal Academy programs!
Community, or work space, for parents
Students travel to Cajal from as far as two hours away, and we understand the burden and sacrifice this places on their families! For parents who are looking to meet others in a similar position, we encourage you to head over to our friends SONO Wood Fired, just across the parking lot, to meet up and get to know one another. Families with younger siblings may wish to spend the afternoon at one of Norwalk’s several educational magnets for young kids, including the Maritime Aquarium just around the corner, or Stepping Stones Museum. For parents juggling work obligations, we have a limited number of private offices (with wifi, a desk and an actual door!) available for rent on a first-come-first-served basis for an additional fee of $45 for the afternoon. Please note that these offices have limited cell phone reception however you are welcome to make calls via wifi.
Apply to join our Enrichment Series today!
We use a universal application for all Cajal Academy programs, so students who currently have an open application to Cajal Academy or who have been accepted into a Cajal Academy summer or academic year program within the past 18 months are not required to reapply.
Applicants who have been unsuccessful or who have not previously applied are welcome to reapply for our Wednesday Workshop Enrichment Series and will be considered on a case-by-case basis.